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SV@Home: Behind the Scenes
What an exciting time for affordable housing! Over the past couple weeks, San Francisco voters passed an affordable housing bond, and cities and counties in the Silicon Valley are demonstrating their commitment to increasing affordable housing in their jurisdictions. Coming up, SV@Home staff continue to speak about affordable housing at events all over the Silicon Valley. Keep reading
to see what events and meetings you can participate in. And don't forget to save the dates for our November 19th Happy Housers and December 17th Holiday Party!
Stay in touch with SV@Home through our
Twitter
,
Facebook,
and website.
Thank you and welcome to our newest member, Bank of America! SV@
Home offers a wide range of membership options for both organizations and individuals.
Sign up to be a member today!
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News in Affordable Housing
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| SV@Home members at SVCN's Be Our Guest event on October 29th (from left to right): Katherine Harasz, Interim Executive Director, HACSC; Louis Chicoine, Executive Director, Abode Services; and Jennifer Loving, Executive Director, Destination:Home. |
Voters Approve More Affordable Homes in SF
On Tuesday, November 3rd, San Francisco voters passed a
$310 million bond that will build critically needed homes for low and middle income San Franciscans. Prop A passed with an overwhelming 73.5% of the vote, surpassing the 2/3 minimum threshold and signifying San Francisco residents' commitment to alleviating the housing crisis.
Kudos to SV@Home Board Member, Amie Fishman, and staff of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern CA (NPH), for their tireless work in helping to mobilize their members to provide voter education and information about this opportunity to make affordable homes a priority for the City.
San Jose Explores Potential 2016 Housing & Homeless Bond Measure
Following Tuesday's great victory in San Francisco, on Thursday, November 5th, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced the launch of a feasibility study for a
potential quarter-million housing and homelessness bond for the November 2016 ballot cycle.
As the first step in gauging the potential for a new local funding source aimed at increasing the City's affordable housing stock, the policy study will shed light on public support for housing to support homeless veterans and rental-assistance and first-time homebuyer programs for teachers, policy officers, and firefighters.
We know that we can't solve our housing problem without money, so measures like this are vital.
Thank you to Mayor Liccardo for your leadership!
San Jose Names New Housing Leader
On November 3rd,
Jacky Morales-Ferrand was appointed by the City Council as the permanent Director of Housing for the City of San Jose! Jacky has served as Interim Director since January, following the retirement of SV@Home Executive Director, Leslye Corsiglia. In 2007, Jacky joined the City as the Assistant Director of Housing, after serving as the Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development for the City of Denver, the Director of Housing Initiatives for Forest City Stapleton, and the Homeownership Program Manager for the City of Boulder. San Jose, and Santa Clara County, are lucky to have Jacky's knowledge, experience, and talent as we tackle the significant affordable housing challenges facing our region.
SV@Home congratulates Jacky and looks forward to continuing to work with her in this role!
SV@Home Partner Destination:Home Recognized
On October 29th,
the Silicon Valley Council of Non-Profits (SVCN) awarded the Destination:Home (D:H) Board of Directors
with the "Everyone Wins" Award at SVCN's Annual Be Our Guest event. Five years ago, D:H assembled a group of community leaders and posed two questions: 1) Who is responsible for homelessness in our community? Answer: "everyone" and, at the same time, "no one", and 2) Are we willing to be to take responsibility as a group for our homelessness crisis? Answer: yes.
The D:H Board has committed itself to a measured reduction in homelessness, ensuring that there are more resources for homeless men, women, and children, and paving the way for stakeholders to act through its Community Plan to End Homelessness.
Congratulations to the staff and Board of Destination:Home! SV@Home is proud to have your Executive Director, Jennifer Loving, serve on our Leadership Board.
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Housing Events
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| Community members attend First Community Housing's Studio 1585 Grand Opening Event on October 29th. |
We're Bringing Happy Housers Back!
Join
SV@Home at our next Happy Housers to chat with peers and industry leaders about how up-and-coming leaders can
support the affordable housing field and how you can be involved. We will be discussing the potential expansion o
f the Emerging Leaders Peer Network (ELPN) to the South Bay, following a year of successful trainings, events, and advocacy in San Francisco and Oakland.
The event will take place on Thursday, November 19th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Paper Plane in Downtown San Jose (72 S. 1st St.). There is no cost to attend and all housers are welcome, but note that the venue requires guests to be 21 and over. Space is limited, so RSVP early to reserve your spot!
Click here to register.
Regular Happy Housers will take place on the 3rd Thursday of every other month. For any questions, contact Gina at gina@svathome.org.
Senate Hearing on State of Housing in CA
On
Thursday, November 12th, the CA Senate Transportation and Housing Committee will be holding an informational hearing about the state of housing in California. Federal and state housing representatives will discuss critical housing programs, as Congress continues to weigh funding priorities in the age of sequestration and deep funding cuts.
Led by CA State Senator Jim Beall and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, speakers include Leslye Corsiglia, Executive Director of SV@Home; Mike Rawson, Director of the Public Interest Law Project; and Michael Anderson, Director of the Housing Trust Fund, Center for Community Change.
The event will take place
from 9:00 to 11:30 am at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Chambers at 70 W Hedding, San Jose.
To RSVP, please contact Senator Beall's office at (408) 558-1295 or senator.beall@senate.ca.gov.
CAL-ALHFA: Think Again! Conference
Cal-ALHFA will be hosting its 2015 Annual Conference on
Thursday, November 12th. CAL-ALHFA is a broad-based membership organization including public and private agencies which develop, finance, and administer programs to address affordable housing issues in California.
The event will take place
from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Capitol Plaza Holiday In
n
at 300 J St., Sacramento. Workshop topics will include State Housing Programs, Rent Control, Fair Housing, and CA Property Tax Policy. The event will also include a networking reception and vendors exchange - be sure to stop by SV@Home's table!
Get more information and register through
this link.
For additional information and questions, please contact Mary Ellen Shay, Executive Director, at calalhfa@gmail.com or by calling (916) 444-0288.
SVCN's Annual Health and Housing Summit
On
Monday, November 16th, the Silicon Valley Council of Non-Profits will host its 5th Annual Health and Housing Summit, bridging two very timely and interconnected issues affecting our region.
The day-long Summit will focus on the intersection of healthcare and housing, with a keynote lunchtime plenary led by Supervisor Ken Yeager. SV@Home's very own Leslye Corsiglia will moderate a panel on affordable housing resources and priorities in Santa Clara County, along with Jacky Morales-Ferrand, San Jose's newly-appointed Director of Housing; Katherine Harasz, Interim Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara; and Ky Le, Director of the County Office of Supportive Housing.
The Summit is scheduled to start at 8:30 am and will be held at the Sobrato Center for Nonprofits located at 1400 Parkmoor Ave. in San Jose.
Register for the Summit through
this link.
Priced Out! Addressing the Need for Affordable Housing in the Silicon Valley
On Friday, November 20th, the Social Innovation Leadership Forum (SILF) will hold its Solution Discovery Series event on the Silicon Valley affordable housing crisis. The half-day forum will engage cross-sector thought leaders in a structured design exercise to identify a range of new solutions capable of mitigating the impact of thd dwindling affordable housing supply on our region's most vulnerable. Again, SV@Home's Leslye Corsiglia will be one of the speakers at this event.
The event starts at 8:30 am and will be held at the San Jose State University Lucas Business Complex located at 2933 Bunker Hill Rd. in Santa Clara.
Attendance is limited to 60 individuals so register today through this link.
FCH's 1585 Studios Grand Opening Celebration
Congratulations to First Community Housing for their successful Grand Opening Celebration of 1585 Studios in Mountain View last Thursday! This sustainable, energy-efficient, and
100% affordable housing development provides
26 studio units to special needs individuals who earn 30-50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) in Santa Clara County.
Guest speakers at the event included Mountain View Mayor John McCalister and SV@Home member, Greg Becker, of Silicon Valley Bank.
For more information about 1585 Studios,
click here.
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Public Meetings
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Eden Housing's Monterey Villa in San Jose transformed a deteriorated, vacant parking lot into 20 affordable homes with supportive services for individuals with special needs.
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Mountain View Seeks Feedback on North Bayshore Precise Plan
This survey may be of particular interest to those who live or work in Mountain View. Following the Community Workshop held on October 22, the City of Mountain View is conducting an online survey of community preferences for the residential development in North Bayshore. The survey,
accessible here, is
open until Thursday, November 9, 2015.
If you need assistance, please call the Mountain View Planning Secretary at (650) 903-6306.
San Jose: Mobile Homes Ordinance Conversation
Over the next two weeks, staff from the City's Housing Department are scheduled to provide the Housing and Community Development Commission (HCDC) and the Community and Economic Development Committee (CEDC) with initial policy recommendations on general plan text amendments, new council policy, and zoning code amendments related to the existing mobile home park ordinance.
The HCDC meeting is scheduled to start at 5:45 pm on Thursday, November 12th. The CEDC meeting is scheduled to start at 1:30 pm on Monday, November 16th. Both meetings will be located at
Wing Rooms 118 and 119 at City Hall, 200 East Santa Clara Street in San José.
Staff recommendations will be available prior to the HCDC meeting through this link.
County Housing Task Force Adopts Resolution on Housing Policy Options
On October 20th, the County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution prepared by the County Housing Task Force that lays out a series of recommended actions to increase affordable housing options in the County. While the Task Force focused on a response to homelessness, many of the actions included in the resolution would create more affordable housing overall, including prioritizing surplus lands for affordable housing development and approving zoning actions that both encourage deed restricted housing and "naturally occurring" affordable housing.
The Task Force will discuss regional housing response again at its November 13, 2015 meeting, beginning at 9am in the County Board of Supervisor's Chambers at the County Government Center, 70 West Hedding Street, 1st Floor, San Jose. The final meeting of the Task Force is scheduled to take place on December 4th.
The resolution is available for download via this link..
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Become a Houser!
Looking for a way to make a positive impact in your community?
Become a member of SV@Home today!
As a member, you can help advance the cause of affordable housing, shape policy conversations, find new resources and solutions to our affordable housing crisis, and build a strong network of partners! Join the ranks of organizations like Google, the Knight Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, Palo Alto Housing Corporation, and many more. See the full list of founding members that have committed to easing Silicon Valley's affordable housing crisis on our website.
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Leslye Corsiglia
Executive Director
SV@Home
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